A Bottom-Up Approach

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 817.

Part 3

v Active vocabulary

o Study the following vocabulary items and collocations:

Volatile industries

To focus on opportunities

To take a bottom-up approach

To look at something top-down

To be the best bet for future growth

To review a position on the merit of a job

To shine in interviews

To translate that knowledge to company recruiters

v Cultural note

R&D -research and development

o Read the text. Do the comprehension check below:

Size doesn't matter to some students, who are scared off by companies in such volatile industries as health care and airlines. But once you realize that all industries are cyclical, and that some of the fastest-growing firms are in supposedly weak fields, you can focus on opportunities wherever they emerge.

"Never limit your options by excluding one industry or another. Instead, decide what skills you want to use and the type of function you'd prefer," says Paul Falcone, staffing and development manager at Ames Financial Corp. in Los Angeles. "Take a bottom-up approach by reviewing each position on the merits of the job, rather than looking at it top-down by saying to yourself, 'I'm not working in aerospace no matter what.' ”

On the other hand, Falcone says you could create a list of industries with the greatest potential for growth in the next century, then focus on companies within those fields. Jack Plunkett agrees, and says a good source of data is the annual publication, "Industrial Outlook," produced by the U.S. Commerce Department. Based on that information, he cites six industries as best bets for future growth: computer products distribution, integrated circuit design and manufacturing, financial services, managed health care, specialty retailing and niche publishing.

"Within these sectors, look for companies that are taking reasonable risks to move ahead, including investments in advertising, R&D, new manufacturing technologies, new product testing and the opening of new retail-store formats," he says.

Whether you decide to target specific industries or use your research to uncover opportunities across the board, be sure you learn enough about each target company to really shine in interviews.

"No matter how well you break down the numbers or analyze the competition, if you can't translate that knowledge to company recruiters, it's wasted effort," says Plunkett. "They need to hear the excitement in your voice as you share the results of your research."

v Comprehension check

o Answer the following questions using information from the article to support your ideas. Remember to use the article vocabulary to the maximum:

1. What steps would you take within a bottom-up approach?

2. How does a top-down approach work?

3. Which industries are the best bets for future growth and why?